Nearly £2m has been allocated for the redevelopment of a town's high street - seven years after it was badly dmaged in an explosion. New Ferry town centre is currently undergoing a transformation as part of Wirral Council's plans to rejuvenate the area.
The blast, which originated from a former furniture store off Boundary Road, ripped through the town's high street, injuring 81 people, rendering 78 homeless and forcing 28 businesses to close behind police cordons. Seven businesses were obliterated and never reopened, leading locals to argue that the town has been in steady decline ever since.
A multi-claim civil litigation was recently settled, with claimants arguing that two major º£½ÇÊÓƵ gas suppliers contributed to the explosion by failing to disconnect the gas supply. Two housing developments are currently in progress, with a third planned, providing over 70 new homes.
At an economy, housing, and regeneration committee meeting on December 4, councillors approved an additional £1.2m towards the project, bringing the total funding to £1,829,842. However, this falls significantly short of the £5.2m required to deliver the local authority's plans.
The funds came from a pot of £3.1m left over from two cancelled projects. Other initiatives awarded extra funding included the new U-boat museum, Future Yard, a new health and wellbeing hub called Joy, business centre Start Yard, Birkenhead Priory, and expanded plans for the ferry village in Woodside, reports .
Funds are set to be allocated towards enhancing Bebington Road's high street, with plans to "make the shopping areas more attractive for traders, visitors and residents and will include traffic-calming measures, new planting and seating, additional CCTV to deter anti-social behaviour and a re-provided public car park."
A council report initially suggested that future funds could be redirected to reach £5.2m if other projects fell through, but this proposal was later withdrawn. Marcus Shaw, Director of Regeneration, stated that a review of projects needed to occur before any financial commitment could be made.
Bromborough councillor Jo Bird, representing New Ferry, expressed concerns about the funding gap, stating: "It's a brilliant scheme, it's well needed, it's shovel ready and there's new homes being built as we speak."
She argued that the high street required funding due to the explosion that had devastated the town and that the current funding would result in "pretty basic," changes. She also expressed surprise at the last-minute plan changes and warned that delays would make project delivery more challenging.
In response, Mr Shaw said: "This is about giving you confidence that we know what we're doing as a directorate and at the moment, I don't feel comfortable putting this to members to make a decision. I want to come back with the confidence that we have a better understanding of our financial position."
The council has given the go-ahead for two masterplans surrounding Woodside and Wallasey Town Hall, as well as six selective licensing schemes in Birkenhead town centre aimed at enhancing housing standards.
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